


the door shut shut

by torigates



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 12:23:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1031678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torigates/pseuds/torigates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When graduation day finally arrives, Caroline isn’t so much surprised that they all managed to get through their classes so much as they all managed to get through high school alive (to, er, varying degrees of “alive”).</p>
            </blockquote>





	the door shut shut

  
When graduation day finally arrives, Caroline isn’t so much surprised that they all managed to get through their classes so much as they all managed to get through high school alive (to, er, varying degrees of “alive”).

Her mom even managed to look proud and avoid insulting her the entire day, so Caroline went ahead and counted the whole day a win.

“Let me ask you a question,” Caroline said to Stefan at the Grille later that night. Most of their graduating class was there celebrating.

“Sure,” Stefan said in that easy, open way he had. Sometimes Caroline thought it was a good thing Stefan only used his vampire powers for good, because he could probably get anyone to do pretty much whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

“How many times have you gone to high school?” Caroline sipped on her drink. Over the years she had gotten better at controlling her cravings, but the alcohol still helped. Especially in spaces where people were in close quarters, and emotions were running high.

He paused, considering this. “Seven—no wait, eight,” he said. “I always forget that time in the 90s.” He chuckled a bit, and Caroline probably would have given anything at that moment to see pictures of Stefan in high school in the 90s.

“Doesn’t it get boring?” she asked instead.

He shrugged. “A little. I only do it once every ten years or so, if that. Usually science and literature have evolved enough in that time to make it a little new, but I swear if I have to read Hamlet one more time—” he cut off at the look on Caroline’s face. “Honestly, I mostly do it for the people. High school has more than enough drama to make it worthwhile.”

Caroline had to laugh at that. Given all the breakups, new friendships, lost friendships, regained friendships, cat fights, fist fights and brawls that had occurred, she had to admit Stefan had a point. And that was before she even counted any of the supernatural stuff. “Fair,” she said.

“Then there’s college.” He continued, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “I have five degrees.”

Caroline actually choked on her drink, some coming up from her nose. It was not a pleasant sensation. “What?”

“Don’t tell anyone,” he said, a small smile on his face. “Not even Damon knows about all of them.”

“Wow.” Caroline had never considered seriously going to college, let alone going to college multiple times. To be fair, she had never considered the possibility that she had centuries’ worth of time to kill before now either.

He chuckled again, before his expression turned serious. “I know everything seems scary now, but it doesn’t have to be. There’s so much you can do: work, school, travel. You can pretty much do whatever you want for as long as you want.”

“Yeah,” Caroline said. “Yeah, I guess I can.” And that in itself was pretty terrifying.

The two of them sat in silence for several long minutes.

“Okay, but how do you remember which year you were born in?” she asked.

“1847,” he said without hesitation.

“Well, duh. That’s the actual year you were born. Which, wow you’re old.” Stefan laughed. “But how do you remember which year you’re supposed to be born in?”

“Math?” he asked. Caroline hit him. He shrugged. “You’d be surprised how often people _don’t_ ask questions,” he told her seriously. “It’s kind of frightening when I think about it...” he trailed off.

Caroline wrinkled her nose at the depressing turn the conversation was taking. Instead she quickly threw back her head and swallowed her drink in one fell swoop. She raised her eyebrows in Stefan’s direction until he did the same.

Several drinks later, in an effort to take advantage of the fun and exciting aspects of supernatural life, Caroline persuaded Stefan and the rest of their group to play hide and seek. Which she totally won, by using her vampire powers of stealth and observation. Even though Stefan claimed for years that she cheated (she did), she always denied it.

Two hundred years later, she’d done the high school thing nine times, college six times (and seriously? Caroline Forbes had multiple degrees?), and had worked twenty seven jobs. The world was always a constant blur of motion and change around her, but Stefan was right; she could do anything she wanted. And she _did_.

The world changed, people changed, _Caroline_ changed, but Stefan was always there—guiding her though it all (even when she cheated). 


End file.
